The Philadelphia Flyers are poised for a big free agency period in 2026, and if the last season means anything, they should have one potential signing circled already.
Very quietly, Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood set the NHL record for hits in a single campaign last year, laying the body a whopping 462 times.
But, beyond that, the 30-year-old improved his overall play in his lone year under head coach Rick Tocchet, who has since joined the Flyers, as we all know.
The abrasive 6-foot winger posted career-highs across the board in Vancouver with his 19 goals, 21 assists, and 40 points, and that's without any power play goals and just two power play assists.
Sherwood is exactly the kind of gritty, late-bloomer stereotype who thrives on Stanley Cup-contending teams, which was probably what the Canucks were hoping would happen last year, except almost everything else around the team collapsed miserably.
Fast-forward to today, and Sherwood has one year remaining on his contract at a $1.5 million cap hit.
The Canucks desperately need to make some upgrades at the center position at some point, and many questions still remain around captain Quinn Hughes and his future in Vancouver.
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Sherwood is likely to command a significant raise on his current cap hit, especially if he is to deliver an encore of his 2024-25 performance. For the former Nashville Predator, it might not make a lot of sense at his age to stick around on a team that is closer to declining than rising.
From a team perspective, the Canucks might be better off allocating the funds they do have to upgrades higher in the lineup.
Why the Flyers, Sherwood should choose each other
Nobody has coached Sherwood to success quite like Tocchet has, and the two would be an ideal fit together in Philadelphia for a few reasons.
For starters, Bobby Brink, Nick Deslauriers, Christian Dvorak, and Rodrigo Abols are all on expiring contracts.
Those are four bottom-six pieces the Flyers will have to replace, and Brink, while arguably more talented, can't match the physicality Sherwood brings despite the similar offensive production at a much younger age.
Dvorak was brought in this offseason at least partially due to his familiarity with Tocchet, but a player like Jett Luchanko should be taking his roster spot by next season, making his return unlikely.
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By adding Sherwood, the Flyers can replace a player like Brink with an older, more physical player in Sherwood, who would bring similar offensive production and require less long-term commitment contractually.
Brink assuredly would still have trade value around the league, which the Flyers could then consider leveraging to add a piece on defense, for example.
Or, the Flyers could opt to have both Brink and Sherwood, though split opportunities might restrict the ceilings of both players. That depends on how GM Danny Briere and Co. want to structure and build the roster.
What is clear, though, is that signing Sherwood next offseason would be a continuation of the philosophy the Flyers have stuck to throughout this rebuild process, surrounding their young talent with physical, experienced veterans.
The familiarity with Tocchet is a huge bonus, and Sherwood had a legitimately good season to build on, which should help put fans at ease.
His contract situation over the next few months will be one to watch.